Sunday, May 23, 2010

The Rant - Facebook Edition

Here's something that bothers me.

I find it really hard to sympathize, and also understand, the numerous people who have a problem with Facebook getting all up in their privacy grill. I'm having a problem understanding because I'm not sure what people are expecting from a public social networking site. And this is why:

It's a PUBLIC SOCIAL NETWORKING site. Public. For social networking. If you're posting shit on Facebook that you don't want other people to see, maybe ask yourself why you're posting it on a social networking site in the first place. It's not like Facebook is coming into your house and stealing your photo albums and journals and posting them on the internet. You are. You're posting your photos and journals on the internet. On the INTERNET. Which brings me to my second point...

It's the INTERNET you're posting things on. The concept of the internet is not new, nor is the concept of really smart people, and even really dumb people hacking into websites and stealing information from places they're technically not allowed into. This happens all the time. If you want to keep something super private than don't post it on the internet and especially don't post it on Facebook which is, I believe I've mentioned before, a social networking site.

It's a free social networking site. I`m really at a loss to explain why people constantly complain about something that`s provided to them for free. Facebook is a huge deal right now and has some really cool, positive things like helping others connect with long lost friends or spying on other people or soft core stalking and even games which apparently have farm themes and are probably really fun if you`re into farm games which I'm not but, whatever, my point is that it's free. It's like when you order pizza in at work and your boss pays for it because he's really cool and, instead of being grateful for the free meal, all people do is bitch because there's no pineapple on it. Or there IS pineapple on it. People too often take free things for granted. It's like there's this sense of entitlement because, thanks to technology, everything these days is so easily accessible. Remember the days when we used to write letters? On paper? With real words? And syllables? Or talk on the phone? Or even in person? Take a second to remember(if you're even old enough) way back when it actually took an effort to communicate and tell me that we don't have a pretty sweet deal right now.

Why are you posting half naked pictures of yourself or pictures of you cheating on your husband or putting shit in your status that you don't want people to see anyways? If you put something like, "I hate my job and my boss is an asshole," in your status and he finds out and you get fired? Guess what? You kind of deserve it. How's that different from saying it out loud in the lunchroom and he overhears? It isn't. If you're dumb brave enough to say or write that in a public place then you really need to deal with the consequences. And I know what you're going to say here but...

Let's face it, Facebook IS a public place. And it always will be. No matter how many privacy settings you turn on or off and no matter how many people threaten to leave because Facebook is invading their super private lives, Facebook will always be a public place. And?

That's why it's fun. You just need to use it properly. If you're looking for a place for all your private thoughts, keep a journal. A written journal. And keep it under your bed or something. Pictures can be printed out and put in private albums. Don't post revealing statuses. Or any statuses for that matter. I'm sure everyone can make it through the day without knowing you're going to the gym again.

Aaaaand done.

P.S. I'm expecting some flak to come from this post so feel free to disagree in the comments. I respect others' opinions even though I'm totally right. Don't be an asshole though. Or I'll post that you are on Facebook.

8 comments:

I don't agree that Facebook has the right to take our information and give it to third parties, but I also don't agree that we should have the right to post on Facebook in complete privacy. I don't believe that Facebook specifically is the proper vehicle for that. I also believe that if people don't like it, they should delete their account. If Facebook continues to disrespect people's privacy but people continue to use Facebook anyways, why should they change? It's not like Facebook is the only networking site. And there are many more currently in development. If people aren't getting the results they want by protesting their outrage in articles or blog pages or, ironically, their statuses, then maybe something more extreme, like quitting Facebook altogether, needs to happen.

People are stupid. I don't understand why they post pictures of themselves topless or in terrible positions with guns and drugs and expect this will not come back to bite them in the ass. Also, I really hate seeing pictures of my cousins' cleavage. But, I like to play Scrabble. Facebook wins.

You know what? I kind of don't see a problem with Facebook taking my information and giving it to third parties...it's been happening for years and years and years in different vehicles -- why else would we have phone solicitors? Ain't nothin' free. That's the price we pay to have Facebook for free. Simple. People are just pissed now because it's out in the open instead of being sold behind our backs.

YOU choose what you put on Facebook and what you don't. YOU write the status updates. YOU list the music you like. I also don't get it. I also can't stand when people sign "petitions" and join groups about privacy...nothing is going to change, and if you don't like it, delete it! The same people who bitch and moan are the same ones who keep coming back..if they really hated it, they'd be gone.

Totally agree with you. And if you only have "friends" who are actually friends, it helps keep whatever privacy there might be. You cannot have 600 friends and then complain that Facebook isn't keeping your information private.

If people spent half as much time thinking about the kind of stuff they put online AND using the privacy controls that are offered as they do bitching about the lack of privacy, there would be no issue.

People are dumb. Getting Facebook, posting cleavage pictures of yourself, and then complaining about the privacy is like a kid who gets ice cream for free, eats it, and then screams at his mom for making him eat the flavor he hates. It's just stupid.